Building a Black Male Learning Community: Robert Kelly remembers his freshman year at the University of West Georgia well. Like many Black students new to the culture of the college campus, he felt lost. But thanks to the African-American Male Learning Community, he was drawn into a group of 25 young men aiming to meet the challenge together.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” says the young man from Stratford, Conn. “But we came together, bonded and felt the comfort of having one another’s back. It eased us into the process of dealing with college studies, and as a result we stayed together.”
That African-American Male Learning Community, started four years ago by Dr. Said Sewell III, is part of the Center for African-American Male Research Success and Leadership. The center addresses challenges faced by Black male students in the academy through several initiatives, including a leadership development program and a precollege summer conference. Last year, the center and its learning community were honored by the Georgia Board of Regents with a “Best Practices” citation for innovation.
